It's struck me that there's a big picture out there where kidnapped aid workers and prisoners without charges are ants. It's unrealistic to demand the emancipation of Iraq for a handful of aid workers. They may be individual tragedies, but in the big picture, they don't matter. In the same way, it's unrealistic to think the world is safer from organized militaristic religion because people can be caged like rats. The power mad seek madness whether or not we help them with neighbours spying on neighbours, or whether we vote them into office because we're putting our protection money where it counts.

In the long run, the execution of aid workers and prisoners is a sugar fix for morale. It doesn't last long. But it tastes good. And if you don't care too much about where things are going, it's an ordinary person's high. Ordinary people don't like thinking about the longterm consequences of buying into short term dreams. Big pictures are for people who think too much. They're the dreamers. But see now, ordinary people are what make reality work. Harnessing ordinary people shouldn't be the job of ordinary short term disaster-mongers. Ordinary people need thinking for themselves.